Mouthfeel is light and crisp with fizzy carbonation, a slick feel on the tongue and a malty finish that goes down fast and easy. This is a very basic beer, but man it went down so quick and smooth that it would be a great session beer. Oddly boring from Firestone Walker but still extremely refreshing and easy to quaff.

Smell: Burnt vanilla, sort of like bourbon. Some vague woody notes as well. Very malty in my opinion.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Very subdued flavors. Burnt vanilla and oak. Very faint floral hop flavors in this as well. I was not initially in love with the mouthfeel, and I found it a bit thin. However, as this warms, the oaky, resiny traits of this beer come out, and the fiery bourbon sensation grows.

Overall: A very good beer that gets better as you drink. Would make a great session.

A - Pours a crystal clear deep amber color with a thick finger plus of fluffy off-white foam that shows decent staying power. Rocky and webby lacing is left on the glass nicely after the head falls to the surface after a minute or so.

S - Malty, sweet, caramelly with almost an iced tea like character too. Touches of lemony, citrusy hops but mostly malt in the nose.

T - Malty, sweet and earthy. Still getting some of the tea-like character of the aroma in the flavor as well. Balanced well towards the malty side, with enough hops to keep it from being too sweet.

M - So smooth on the palate. Carbonation is a bit on the light side, but still gives enough of a tingly bite on the back of the throat on each swallow. Goes down like water...body is light. Perhaps a bit heavy for a summer day, but perfect for a fall afternoon in front of a football game for sure.

O - Well brewed, solid pale ale. Definitely of the English variety showing more balance and malt forwardness than a typical American version of the style. Somewhat light, mild, easy drinking. Good sessionable pale ale. Probably not going to satisfy the hopheads out there, but malty beer lovers will enjoy and it seems to be an approachable beer for the newbie craft drinkers as well.

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled 4/23/2012. Pours lightly hazy orange amber color with a nice 2 finger dense cream colored head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Good foamy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of caramel, toast, orange zest, biscuit, herbal, floral, earth, nuttiness, and grass. Nice aromas with good balance, decent strength and complexity; quite pleasant. Taste of caramel, toast, biscuit, nuttiness, herbal, floral, earth, and light orange and grapefruit. Light spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toast, biscuit, nuttiness, herbal, and light citrus on the finish for a short bit. Fairly dry on the finish. Good flavor balance between toasty flavors and hop flavors; and fairly robust feeling. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and crisp mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a really nice English pale ale. Nice flavor balance with a good amount of fairly robust flavor; extremely smooth to drink. Really enjoyable.

buttery? that's a description for this type of brew? i can see it. i can also see the sometimes nutty" description also. no head to speak of from my bottle. nothing special regarding any kind of lacing. sweet smell up front, sweet taste up front, some caramel-ly towards the back, and voila! a decent, sessionable brew. at 5% they're playing it safe and able to sell six packs nationwide.... mouthfeel is slightly carbonated, light to mdium body; i little extra "something" thrown in there (a slightly exotic hop, maybe?) to give it a slight foreign twang, and this one's a winner. with some good marketing they ought to be able to stock shelves within a good 1500 mile radius.... not a bad brew, something i could drink maybe 3 of before looking for the chips and dip...

S: Big, caramel malt. Pleasant, but not what I expected from a pale ale. Sweet-sticky vanilla molasses.

T/M: The taste is similar to the smell, but with a touch of English hops and a splash of citrus. Predominantly sweet, with a carbonated mouthfeel and an aftertaste of molasses. Interesting pale ale. Slightly nutty at times.